How to make vcredist_x86 reinstall only if not yet installed?

In my inno setup RUN selection I force silent install of MSVCRT. I wonder how to make it install itself only if not yet installed?

This is what I call now:

Filename: {tmp}\vcredist_x86.exe; Parameters: "/passive /Q:a /c:""msiexec /qb /i vcredist.msi"" "; StatusMsg: Installing 2010 RunTime...

Since you don't want to tell what minimal version of Visual C++ redistributable package you require, here you have the code sample from which you can build this by your own. Please notice that I have no clue, what versions are compatible with what and what lower versions must be installed, I'll keep this upon you.

The only thing I can tell you is that you should definitely use Check conditional parameter, the solutions attempting to install the framework or runtime libraries when the wizard is being opened are wrong. This conditional parameter works as when you return True to it, the file is being installed, if False it is skipped. So you need to return True to VCRedistNeedsInstall function when you want to install your runtime libraries, False if not. The helper function VCVersionInstalled which uses constants beginning with the VC_ here returns True when the package is installed, False otherwise.

As the source of this I've used the following sources:

  1. How to detect the presence of the VC 8.0 runtime redistributable package
  2. How to detect the presence of the VC 9.0 runtime redistributable package
  3. How to detect the presence of the VC 2010 runtime redistributable package

The following code should be compatible with Unicode and ANSI versions of Inno Setup thanks to kobik's idea to use the conditional define.

Here is the code:

[Files]
Source: "vcredist_x86.exe"; DestDir: {tmp}; Flags: deleteafterinstall

[Run]
; add the Parameters, WorkingDir and StatusMsg as you wish, just keep here
; the conditional installation Check
Filename: "{tmp}\vcredist_x86.exe"; Check: VCRedistNeedsInstall

[Code]
#IFDEF UNICODE
  #DEFINE AW "W"
#ELSE
  #DEFINE AW "A"
#ENDIF
type
  INSTALLSTATE = Longint;
const
  INSTALLSTATE_INVALIDARG = -2;  { An invalid parameter was passed to the function. }
  INSTALLSTATE_UNKNOWN = -1;     { The product is neither advertised or installed. }
  INSTALLSTATE_ADVERTISED = 1;   { The product is advertised but not installed. }
  INSTALLSTATE_ABSENT = 2;       { The product is installed for a different user. }
  INSTALLSTATE_DEFAULT = 5;      { The product is installed for the current user. }

  VC_2005_REDIST_X86 = '{A49F249F-0C91-497F-86DF-B2585E8E76B7}';
  VC_2005_REDIST_X64 = '{6E8E85E8-CE4B-4FF5-91F7-04999C9FAE6A}';
  VC_2005_REDIST_IA64 = '{03ED71EA-F531-4927-AABD-1C31BCE8E187}';
  VC_2005_SP1_REDIST_X86 = '{7299052B-02A4-4627-81F2-1818DA5D550D}';
  VC_2005_SP1_REDIST_X64 = '{071C9B48-7C32-4621-A0AC-3F809523288F}';
  VC_2005_SP1_REDIST_IA64 = '{0F8FB34E-675E-42ED-850B-29D98C2ECE08}';
  VC_2005_SP1_ATL_SEC_UPD_REDIST_X86 = '{837B34E3-7C30-493C-8F6A-2B0F04E2912C}';
  VC_2005_SP1_ATL_SEC_UPD_REDIST_X64 = '{6CE5BAE9-D3CA-4B99-891A-1DC6C118A5FC}';
  VC_2005_SP1_ATL_SEC_UPD_REDIST_IA64 = '{85025851-A784-46D8-950D-05CB3CA43A13}';

  VC_2008_REDIST_X86 = '{FF66E9F6-83E7-3A3E-AF14-8DE9A809A6A4}';
  VC_2008_REDIST_X64 = '{350AA351-21FA-3270-8B7A-835434E766AD}';
  VC_2008_REDIST_IA64 = '{2B547B43-DB50-3139-9EBE-37D419E0F5FA}';
  VC_2008_SP1_REDIST_X86 = '{9A25302D-30C0-39D9-BD6F-21E6EC160475}';
  VC_2008_SP1_REDIST_X64 = '{8220EEFE-38CD-377E-8595-13398D740ACE}';
  VC_2008_SP1_REDIST_IA64 = '{5827ECE1-AEB0-328E-B813-6FC68622C1F9}';
  VC_2008_SP1_ATL_SEC_UPD_REDIST_X86 = '{1F1C2DFC-2D24-3E06-BCB8-725134ADF989}';
  VC_2008_SP1_ATL_SEC_UPD_REDIST_X64 = '{4B6C7001-C7D6-3710-913E-5BC23FCE91E6}';
  VC_2008_SP1_ATL_SEC_UPD_REDIST_IA64 = '{977AD349-C2A8-39DD-9273-285C08987C7B}';
  VC_2008_SP1_MFC_SEC_UPD_REDIST_X86 = '{9BE518E6-ECC6-35A9-88E4-87755C07200F}';
  VC_2008_SP1_MFC_SEC_UPD_REDIST_X64 = '{5FCE6D76-F5DC-37AB-B2B8-22AB8CEDB1D4}';
  VC_2008_SP1_MFC_SEC_UPD_REDIST_IA64 = '{515643D1-4E9E-342F-A75A-D1F16448DC04}';

  VC_2010_REDIST_X86 = '{196BB40D-1578-3D01-B289-BEFC77A11A1E}';
  VC_2010_REDIST_X64 = '{DA5E371C-6333-3D8A-93A4-6FD5B20BCC6E}';
  VC_2010_REDIST_IA64 = '{C1A35166-4301-38E9-BA67-02823AD72A1B}';
  VC_2010_SP1_REDIST_X86 = '{F0C3E5D1-1ADE-321E-8167-68EF0DE699A5}';
  VC_2010_SP1_REDIST_X64 = '{1D8E6291-B0D5-35EC-8441-6616F567A0F7}';
  VC_2010_SP1_REDIST_IA64 = '{88C73C1C-2DE5-3B01-AFB8-B46EF4AB41CD}';

  { Microsoft Visual C++ 2012 x86 Minimum Runtime - 11.0.61030.0 (Update 4) }
  VC_2012_REDIST_MIN_UPD4_X86 = '{BD95A8CD-1D9F-35AD-981A-3E7925026EBB}';
  VC_2012_REDIST_MIN_UPD4_X64 = '{CF2BEA3C-26EA-32F8-AA9B-331F7E34BA97}';
  { Microsoft Visual C++ 2012 x86 Additional Runtime - 11.0.61030.0 (Update 4)  }
  VC_2012_REDIST_ADD_UPD4_X86 = '{B175520C-86A2-35A7-8619-86DC379688B9}';
  VC_2012_REDIST_ADD_UPD4_X64 = '{37B8F9C7-03FB-3253-8781-2517C99D7C00}';

  { Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable 12.0.21005 }
  VC_2013_REDIST_X86_MIN = '{13A4EE12-23EA-3371-91EE-EFB36DDFFF3E}';
  VC_2013_REDIST_X64_MIN = '{A749D8E6-B613-3BE3-8F5F-045C84EBA29B}';

  VC_2013_REDIST_X86_ADD = '{F8CFEB22-A2E7-3971-9EDA-4B11EDEFC185}';
  VC_2013_REDIST_X64_ADD = '{929FBD26-9020-399B-9A7A-751D61F0B942}';

  { Visual C++ 2015 Redistributable 14.0.23026 }
  VC_2015_REDIST_X86_MIN = '{A2563E55-3BEC-3828-8D67-E5E8B9E8B675}';
  VC_2015_REDIST_X64_MIN = '{0D3E9E15-DE7A-300B-96F1-B4AF12B96488}';

  VC_2015_REDIST_X86_ADD = '{BE960C1C-7BAD-3DE6-8B1A-2616FE532845}';
  VC_2015_REDIST_X64_ADD = '{BC958BD2-5DAC-3862-BB1A-C1BE0790438D}';

  { Visual C++ 2015 Redistributable 14.0.24210 }
  VC_2015_REDIST_X86 = '{8FD71E98-EE44-3844-9DAD-9CB0BBBC603C}';
  VC_2015_REDIST_X64 = '{C0B2C673-ECAA-372D-94E5-E89440D087AD}';

function MsiQueryProductState(szProduct: string): INSTALLSTATE; 
  external 'MsiQueryProductState{#AW}@msi.dll stdcall';

function VCVersionInstalled(const ProductID: string): Boolean;
begin
  Result := MsiQueryProductState(ProductID) = INSTALLSTATE_DEFAULT;
end;

function VCRedistNeedsInstall: Boolean;
begin
  { here the Result must be True when you need to install your VCRedist }
  { or False when you don't need to, so now it's upon you how you build }
  { this statement, the following won't install your VC redist only when }
  { the Visual C++ 2010 Redist (x86) and Visual C++ 2010 SP1 Redist(x86) }
  { are installed for the current user }
  Result := not (VCVersionInstalled(VC_2010_REDIST_X86) and 
    VCVersionInstalled(VC_2010_SP1_REDIST_X86));
end;

Update by chuckleplant:

Added VC++ 2012 product codes. Notice that the redistributable package installs two things, the minimum runtime and the additional runtime. It should be enough for you to look for the minimum runtime. Testing against the Microsoft Visual C++ 2012 Redistributable product code will give INSTALLSTATE_UNKNOWN, use the Minimum Runtime codes instead. It's the same situation for VC++ 2013 and 2015.

You can find product codes for other Visual Studio versions in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Installer\Dependencies\, for example HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Installer\Dependencies\Microsoft.VS.VC_RuntimeAdditionalVSU_amd64,v14


Here's a version that uses the Microsoft recommended way of determining whether the VC Redistributable is installed. I only needed VC 2015 so you will need to adapt values and parameters for other versions:

[Files]
Source: ".\vc-redist\vc-redist\win64\bin\vc_redist.x64.exe"; DestDir: "{tmp}"; Flags: deleteafterinstall; Check: Is64BitInstallMode

; FlexLM requires the VC 2015 redistributables so run the installer if this 
; or a later 2015 version is not already present
[Run]
Filename: "{tmp}\vc_redist.x64.exe"; Parameters: "/install /passive"; StatusMsg: "{#VCmsg}"; Check: IsWin64 and not VCinstalled

[Code]
function VCinstalled: Boolean;
 // Function for Inno Setup Compiler
 // Returns True if same or later Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Redistributable is installed, otherwise False.
 var
  major: Cardinal;
  minor: Cardinal;
  bld: Cardinal;
  rbld: Cardinal;
  key: String;
 begin
  Result := False;
  key := 'SOFTWARE\Microsoft\VisualStudio\14.0\VC\Runtimes\x64';
  if RegQueryDWordValue(HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, key, 'Major', major) then begin
    if RegQueryDWordValue(HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, key, 'Minor', minor) then begin
      if RegQueryDWordValue(HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, key, 'Bld', bld) then begin
        if RegQueryDWordValue(HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, key, 'RBld', rbld) then begin
            Log('VC 2015 Redist Major is: ' + IntToStr(major) + ' Minor is: ' + IntToStr(minor) + ' Bld is: ' + IntToStr(bld) + ' Rbld is: ' + IntToStr(rbld));
            // Version info was found. Return true if later or equal to our 14.0.24212.00 redistributable
            // Note brackets required because of weird operator precendence
            Result := (major >= 14) and (minor >= 0) and (bld >= 24212) and (rbld >= 0)
        end;
      end;
    end;
  end;
 end;

Much easier:

#define VCmsg "Installing Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable...."

[Run]
Filename: "vc_redist.x86.exe"; StatusMsg: "{#VCmsg}"; Check: not IsWin64 and not VCinstalled
Filename: "vc_redist.x64.exe"; StatusMsg: "{#VCmsg}"; Check: IsWin64 and not VCinstalled

[Code]
function VCinstalled: Boolean;
 // By Michael Weiner <mailto:[email protected]>
 // Function for Inno Setup Compiler
 // 13 November 2015
 // Returns True if Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable is installed, otherwise False.
 // The programmer may set the year of redistributable to find; see below.
 var
  names: TArrayOfString;
  i: Integer;
  dName, key, year: String;
 begin
  // Year of redistributable to find; leave null to find installation for any year.
  year := '';
  Result := False;
  key := 'Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall';
  // Get an array of all of the uninstall subkey names.
  if RegGetSubkeyNames(HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, key, names) then
   // Uninstall subkey names were found.
   begin
    i := 0
    while ((i < GetArrayLength(names)) and (Result = False)) do
     // The loop will end as soon as one instance of a Visual C++ redistributable is found.
     begin
      // For each uninstall subkey, look for a DisplayName value.
      // If not found, then the subkey name will be used instead.
      if not RegQueryStringValue(HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, key + '\' + names[i], 'DisplayName', dName) then
       dName := names[i];
      // See if the value contains both of the strings below.
      Result := (Pos(Trim('Visual C++ ' + year),dName) * Pos('Redistributable',dName) <> 0)
      i := i + 1;
     end;
   end;
 end;

I know is very old question but i encounter this situation and since i couldn't do winregistry checking i did this approach,

based on this list of files : https://matthew-brett.github.io/pydagogue/_sources/python_msvc.rst.txt

i was able to just check if the file exist , for example VCRedist 2015/2013 x86/x64:

2015

C:/Windows/System32/msvcp140.dll - x64

C:/Windows/SysWOW64/msvcp140.dll" - x86

2013

C:/Windows/System32/msvcp120.dll - x64

C:/Windows/SysWOW64/msvcp120.dll" - x86